For three quarters on Sunday, the Jets couldn't move the football and managed only three points which left me filled with rage.
However, the Jets offense came to life in the fourth quarter and scored ten points, but in the end it only intensified my anger.
Kellen Clemens made his first career NFL start and led the Jets to the verge of the goaline in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter, but WR Justin McCareins couldn't hang on to the potential game-tying score. Clemens' pass deflected off McCareins' hands and into the arms of LB Ray Lewis which
sealed the Ravens 20-13 victory over the Jets in Baltimore.
REASONS TO GET UP ON MONDAY:
Kellen Clemens. Clemens was shaky early, but battled back and led the Jets on a furious comeback in the fourth quarter and nearly sent the game into overtime. Clemens had a case of "happy feet" and didn't display pocket presence in spots (he held on to the ball too long at times and those plays resulted in sacks), but he rebounded and made some clutch throws in the fourth. Actually, the Jets should have tied the score on three different plays on their final drive. McCareins dropped two passes on the drive that would have resulted in six and Clemens under-threw Laveranues Coles on a play that would have also tied the score. Still, the second-year QB was put in a difficult spot against last season's No. 1 defense and finished 19 for 37 for 260 yards with a TD and 2 INTs.
Jerricho Cotchery. Cotchery had a marvelous game and was one of the reasons the Jets had a chance to tie the score in the final minutes. If Coles is the most underrated wide out in the league, then Cotchery is a close second. Cotchery's 44-yard catch and run put the Jets in Baltimore territory and his clutch 23-yard catch on a fourth-and-seven set the Jets up at the one and an eventual touchdown. Cotchery finished with seven grabs for 165 yards.
Resiliency. The Jets could have gone into the tank after the Ravens kicked a field-goal to make the score 20-3 at the start of the fourth quarter. Instead, the defense stiffened (finally) and the offense began making plays (finally). You don't get any points in the NFL for playing hard or making it close, but it was encouraging to see that this team didn't give up on the road against a tough opponent.
REASONS TO SLEEP IN ON MONDAY:
The defense. The defense played better than they did in Week 1 against the Pats (which isn't saying much), but they didn't record a sack or cause a turnover for the second straight week. Unacceptable. The D also allowed a touchdown in the winding minutes of the first half for the second straight week. The defense has got to start making plays if the Jets expect to make any noise this season.
The running game. The Jets were able to move the ball better on the ground than they did against New England (which also isn't saying a whole lot), but the numbers are still way, way down. RB Thomas Jones looked good at times, but in the end he finished with 24 carries for only 67 yards (that's a paltry 2.8 average). I realize they were going up against one of the best defenses in the league and they had an inexperienced quarterback under center, but there is no way they are going to win without at least an average running attack.
Special teams. The Jets are supposed to have an excellent special teams, but for the second straight week they looked terrible. The allowed a 61-yard kick-off return to Yamon Figurs in which kicker Mike Nuget nearly was decapitated as he tried to make the tackle. The Jets also missed chances to make big hits on punt returns because they thought the returners called for a fair-catch (I'm looking at you Wallace Wright). I'm sure this is eating special teams coach Mike Westhoff because it's attacking the lining of my stomach.
In the end, the loss drops the Jets to a disappointing 0-2 on the season. Up next, a contest with the 0-2 Miami Dolphins at the Meadowlands.
I'm also going make a plea to the Jet fans out there. Clemens showed poise in marching the Jets back in the fourth quarter, but please, please, please don't start a quarterback controversy once Pennington is ready to come back. I honestly don't know if I can make it through this week if that's all anyone is going to talk about. I don't want to dump on Clemens (he did a great job under the circumstances), but I'm convinced that if Pennington was healthy, the Jets would have won this game.
The Jets may have found their quarterback of the future, but the present team needs Pennington if they have designs for a playoff run this season.
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